DAVAO CITY – The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Mindanao-Eastern (OPAMINE) aims to build 380,000 housing units in the Davao region in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s national housing program.
OPAMINE Leo Tereso Magno (center) DHSUD Secretary Jose Acuzar (third from left) open the DHSUD Onse Housing Fair in Davao City on Thursday, October 12. (Ivy Tejano)
OPAMINE Leo Tereso A. Magno said the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program (4PH) is a national program capable of improving the living conditions of Filipinos, especially those without houses.
During the opening of the DHSUD Onse Housing Fair at SM Davao in line with National Shelter Month on Thursday afternoon, October 12, Magno and Engr. Kenneth Yap, president of the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association in Southern Mindanao, vowed to support the 4PH for Mindanao.
“We’re one with you in your programs to offer Pabahay to our fellow Filipinos, and we assure you that SHDA will continue to work with you now and in the future to give quality houses to working Filipinos who dream of having a house one day,” Yap said.
“A shelter is a must for us to consider our lives as comfortable or even just simply livable,” Magno said. He added that the role of the OPAMINE in the national housing program is to look for partner local government units (LGUs) to join 4PH.
The Davao city government unit, together with Mati City, Digos City, Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos), and the municipality of Nabunturan, signified its commitment to the program by signing memorandums of understanding and agreement with the DHSUD and the OPAMINE on Thursday.
DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino L. Acuzar said the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding is a testament to the unending progress of the 4PH of the current administration.
“We are signing MOAs with Mati City and Digos City and entering into MOUs with Municipality of Nabunturan, Davao City, and Igacos signaling the start of our collaboration to provide decent yet affordable shelters to the Filipinos, especially the poorest of the poor,” Acuzar said.
Acuzar said there are around 20 ongoing projects under the National Housing Program in various parts of the country, including the People’s Ville here, which the Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC) spearheads.
“Under the 4PH program, our mission is important – to address the 6.5 million housing backlog in the country. We aspire not just to provide a roof over the heads of but to provide decent, safe, and resilient housing that will restore dignity to our less-fortunate countrymen,” Acuzar said.
Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, in his message, said the city government affirmed its shared responsibility to address the housing needs of its constituents through 4PH as it recognized that shelter is a fundamental human right and a foundation of thriving, vibrant communities.
“We gathered here not only as part of our celebration of the Shelter Month but also to signify the commitment of our respective government units to furthering the cause of providing accessible and affordable housing to the public through the 4PH,” Duterte said.
In Mati City, Mayor Michelle Nakpil Rabat said the housing project will be in the two-hectare land in Bilawan donated by the city government. The initial plan is for a 30-square meter unit with two bedrooms with no equity and a straight monthly payment of P3,500 that is payable in 25 years.
Nabunturan Mayor Myrocel Clarin-Balili said that the national housing program of Marcos is a great opportunity, especially since the local government is preparing for the town to become a city.
“We have prepared 5.8 hectares for the national housing program. We are accommodating those who would apply for a housing unit, especially residents of the municipality,” Balili said.
Magno said their objective is to provide 380,000 housing units to those facing housing challenges in the Davao region. Nevertheless, he added that they anticipate that this figure will rise once people witness the commencement of the actual housing project’s construction.
“People will usually start applying for a government project if they see the actual unit constructed. The construction of the housing units will benefit not only informal settlers families (ISF) but also the entire economy of a city or a municipality,” Magno said.
Magno added that the moment the housing project is complete, the economy will surely improve, investments will come in, and there will be better mass transportation, promoting better job opportunities for the people.
The OPAMINE also hopes that more LGUs will join the call, saying their help and cooperation are needed for the success of the project. A total of six million housing units will be constructed, with one million houses per year within six years of the Marcos administration.
DHSUD and OPAMINE collaborated in February 2023 to execute the 4PH program in Mindanao. Both organizations mutually committed to supporting one another to ensure that the large-scale initiative would positively impact homeless people, particularly in Regions 10, 11, 12, and 13.